﻿OF 
  THE 
  MORAY 
  FIRTH 
  AREA. 
  

  

  251 
  

  

  other 
  three 
  supposed 
  species, 
  namely, 
  Ch. 
  curtus, 
  macrocephahis, 
  

   and 
  velox. 
  There 
  is 
  thus 
  but 
  one 
  species 
  of 
  Cheirolepis 
  known 
  in 
  

   Britain, 
  and 
  the 
  only 
  other 
  one 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  obtained 
  in 
  the 
  

   world 
  at 
  large 
  is 
  Ch. 
  Canadensis, 
  Whiteaves, 
  from 
  the 
  Upper 
  

   Devonian 
  of 
  Canada. 
  

  

  In 
  looking 
  back 
  on 
  this 
  fish-fauna 
  of 
  the 
  Orcadian 
  series 
  as 
  

   occurring 
  along 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  the 
  Moray 
  Firth, 
  we 
  may 
  first 
  recall 
  the 
  

   list 
  of 
  species 
  noted 
  above 
  to 
  the 
  mind 
  of 
  the 
  reader. 
  They 
  are 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Diplacanthus 
  stiiatus, 
  Ag. 
  

  

  „ 
  tenuistriatus, 
  Traq. 
  

   Rhadinacanthus 
  longispinus 
  (Ag.). 
  

   Mesacanthus 
  pusillus 
  (Ag.). 
  

   Cheiracanthus 
  Murchisoni 
  (Ag.) 
  

  

  „ 
  latus, 
  Egert. 
  

   Pterichthys 
  Milleri, 
  Ag. 
  

  

  „ 
  productus, 
  Ag. 
  

   oblongus, 
  Ag. 
  

  

  Diptenis 
  Valenciennesii, 
  Sedgw. 
  and 
  

  

  Murch. 
  

   Glyptolepis 
  leptopterus, 
  Ag. 
  

   Gyroptychius 
  microlepidotus 
  (Ag.). 
  

   Osteolejfis 
  macrolepidota, 
  Ag. 
  

   Diplopterus 
  Agassi:ii, 
  Traill. 
  

   Coccosteus 
  decipiens, 
  Ag. 
  

   Homosteus 
  Milleri, 
  Traq. 
  

   Cheirolepis 
  Traill 
  i, 
  Ag. 
  

  

  As 
  nearly 
  all 
  of 
  these 
  fishes 
  reappear 
  in 
  the 
  flags 
  of 
  Caithness 
  

   and 
  of 
  Orkney, 
  it 
  is 
  clear 
  that 
  those, 
  along 
  with 
  the 
  Moray 
  Firth 
  

   beds, 
  form 
  one 
  great 
  palteontological 
  series, 
  the 
  Orcadian 
  — 
  supposed 
  

   by 
  Sir 
  A. 
  Geikie 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  deposited 
  in 
  the 
  hypothetical 
  ' 
  Lake 
  

   Orcadie 
  ' 
  of 
  the 
  Devonian 
  period. 
  

  

  Of 
  this 
  assemblage 
  of 
  species 
  not 
  one 
  occurs 
  in 
  the 
  Lower 
  Old 
  

   Red 
  Sandstone 
  of 
  Forfarshire, 
  or 
  of 
  any 
  part 
  of 
  Great 
  Britain 
  south 
  

   of 
  the 
  Grampians. 
  But 
  to 
  enter 
  into 
  any 
  discussion 
  of 
  the 
  relative 
  

   geological 
  age 
  of 
  these 
  beds 
  would 
  carry 
  us 
  far 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  scope 
  

   of 
  the 
  present 
  essay, 
  which 
  is 
  only 
  concerned 
  with 
  the 
  fossil 
  verte- 
  

   brate 
  fauna 
  of 
  the 
  Moray 
  Basin. 
  

  

  FISHES 
  OF 
  THE 
  UPPER 
  OLD 
  RED 
  SANDSTONE. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  Upper 
  Old 
  Red 
  strata 
  lie 
  unconformably 
  on 
  those 
  con- 
  

   stituting 
  the 
  Orcadian 
  series, 
  a 
  considerable 
  difference 
  might 
  naturally 
  

   be 
  expected 
  in 
  their 
  fossil 
  contents. 
  So 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  point 
  of 
  fact 
  — 
  not 
  

   one 
  species 
  is 
  common 
  to 
  the 
  two 
  series 
  of 
  beds. 
  Nevertheless, 
  as 
  

  

  